REDUCING PERIOPERATIVE COMPLICATIONS IN PATIENTS WITH OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep-related breathing disorder commonly undiagnosed during preoperative evaluation in surgical patients. Kaiser Permanente (KP) has identified the preoperative screening of surgical patients for OSA as an area for improvement. Patients with OSA are at increased risk for cardiovascular, pulmonary, and endocrine disease. In addition, failure to diagnose patients with OSA is associated with increased perioperative complications. The literature review supports using the STOP-Bang questionnaire for the preoperative screening of patients for OSA. The purpose of this pilot project is to develop an educational module that highlights the diagnostic accuracy of the STOP-Bang questionnaire, clinical implications of OSA and will outline the best practices in the anesthetic management of patients with OSA. Anesthesia providers were invited to complete the educational module. A pre-module and post-module chart audit was conducted to monitor the rate of STOP-Bang questionnaire completion and adherence to clinical practice guidelines. While there were minimal differences in midazolam and narcotic administration, there was an increase in the number of STOP-Bang questionnaires completed post-intervention. A larger sample size is needed to evaluate the effect of this educational module on the perioperative management of OSA patients.